Ljubljana extends winning streak

Thu, 14.02.2019: HDD SIJ Acroni Jesenice vs. HC Pustertal 1:4 (0:1, 1:1, 0:2)
Referees: BAJT, PODLESNIK, Holzer, Snoj

The HC Pustertal snatched up the second season-win against HDD SIJ Acroni Jesenice. A brace of Max Oberrauch gave the leader an early two-goal lead and finally a 4:1 road win. Pustertal earned the fourth consecutive win, while the Slovenian side got the third straight defeat and remains ninth in standings. Oberrauch opend the scoring for the guests after 2,5 minutes played, but the home team had the better of the play in the first frame. After both teams missed powerplays in the first, Oberrauch gave the leader a 2:0 after almost 28 minutes – again assisted by Teemu Virtala. David Rodman halved the deficit for the hosts later in the second. At the beginning of the last period Jesenice wasted two more powerplays, five in total. Further the game went goalless, until Jesenice pulled their goalie about 80 seconds to go without being successful. The top-ranked team converted two empty-netter for the result. 

Goal JES: Rodman (34./Urukalo-Gagnon)
Goals PUS: Oberrauch (3./Virtala, 28./Virtala-Do Lorenzo Meo), Raphael Andergassen (59.EN/Furlong), Hofer (60.EN/Oberrauch-Virtala)

Thu, 14.02.2019: EC KAC II vs. S.G. Cortina Hafro 5:1 (2:0, 1:1, 2:0)
Referees: LENDL, LOICHT, Riecken, Schweighofer, Gotthardt. Spectators: 138

The EC-KAC II celebrated its seventh season win after regular time beating S.G. Cortina Hafro 5:1. With their first win ever against the Italian side the Carinthians stopped their losing streak. After both teams wasted one powerplay each, Philipp Kreuzer got his colors on the scoreboard during the second man advantage. Soon later, Fabian Hochegger slid the puck under the pads of Roia Marco De Filippo for a 2:0-lead. After the first intermission, Riccardo Lacedelli pulled one back for the guest. From now on Cortina became better searching for another strike. But Hochegger took back the 2-goal-lead for the hosts as he realized another powerplay. The minutes were ticking away on the chance for Cortina to mount any comeback as EC-KAC II increased its lead around halfway through the last. Top-Scorer Markus Pirmann placed the 4:1 and later Valentin Hammerle lit the lamp for the final result. 

Goals KAC: Kreuzer (12.PP1/Obersteiner-Nickl), Hochegger (14./Steffler-Kreuzer, 34.PP1/Hammerle V.), Pirmann (51./Di Casmirro-Cirtek), Hammerle V. (53.PP1/Kernberger-Hammerle S.)
Goal SGC: Lacedelli R. (25.PP1/Trecapelli-Di Diomete)

Thu, 14.02.2019: EHC Alge Elastic Lustenau vs. HC Fassa Falcons 5:1 (1:1, 1:0, 3:0)
Referees: GAMPER, SUPPER, Kainberger, Matthey. Spectators: 692

The EHC Alge Elastic Lustenau booked an expected 5:1 home win against HC Fassa Falcons and strengthened its position for the top-4. With its sixth straight win against the Italian side, the Austrians expanded their winning streak to four. Fassa got its 14th successive defeat and remains last in standings. Lustenau used its first powerplay for an early lead as Max Wilfan opend the scoring for the hosts after 77 seconds. Massimo Zanet tied it up for the underdog in the fifth minute. The game remained goalless until the end of the first frame. In the final minute of the second Philip Putnik got his colors on winning ways. Philipp Winzig realized the 3:1-lead on powerplay at the beginning of the third and Marc-Olivier Vallerand made the game safe about ten minutes to go. Eetu-Ville Arkiomaa rounded off the scoring on double powerplay.

Goals EHC: Wilfan (2.PP1/Arkiomaa-Vallerand), Putnik (40./Vallerand-Wilfan), Winzig (46.PP1/Wilfan-Vallerand), Vallerand (50./Putnik-Wilfan), Arkiomaa (59.PP2/Wilfan-Winzig)
Goal FAS: Zanet (5./Schiavone)

Thu, 14.02.2019: EK Die Zeller Eisbären vs. HC Gherdeina valgardena.it 2:4 (0:1, 2:1, 0:2)
Referees: LAZZERI, OFNER, Bergant, Oberhuber. Spectators: 780

The HC Gherdeina valgardena.it allmost fastened its place for the pre-playoffs with a 4:2 road win against EK Die Zeller Eisbären. While the South Tyrolean got their third win out of the last four games, the Austrian side lost for the fifth time in a row. After Albert Krammer hit the post for Zell at the beginning of the game, Benjamin Kostner’s brace gave the guests a 2:0-lead after 28 minutes. The hosts benefited on their first powerplay as Tobias Dinhopel halved the deficit. A couple of minutes later the polar bears tied the game with an unstoppable shot of David Franz. Around halfway through the last also HC Gherdeina valgardena.it used its first man advantage for a goal as Colin Long retake the lead. After the polar bears pulled their goalie in the end, Andreas Vinatzer made an empty-netter for the final result.

Goals EKZ: Dinhopel (30.PP1/Gaffal-Oraze), Franz (34./Oraze-Nageler)
Goals GHE: Kostner B. (10./Demetz-Vinatzer, 28./Demetz-Moroder), Long (52.PP1/Sullmann Pilser-Viitanen), Vinatzer (60.EN/Demetz)

Thu, 14.02.2019: EC „Die Adler“ Stadtwerke Kitzbühel vs. Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan 1:2 OT (0:1, 1:0, 0:0, 0:1)
Referees: BENVEGNU, RUETZ, Rinker, Wiest. Spectators: 1.015

With a 2:1-road-win after overtime at EC “Die Adler” Stadtwerke Kitzbühel the Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan secured an important extra point in the race for home advantage in the pre-playoffs. The Broncos snatched up the second season meeting with the “eagles” too and booked the sixth successive victory. In a fast-paced opening frame Paolo Bustreo opened the scoring for the guests after 7,5 minutes. After the scorer got penalized because of interference, Peter Lenes tied it for the home team on powerplay about four minutes to go in the second. A non-goal third period followed, and the decision moved to the extra session. Right at the beginning of the additional time Tobias Kofler secured the extra point for the road-team. 

Goal KEC: Lenes (37.PP1/Havlik-Kaleinikovas)
Goals WSV: Bustreo (8./Hofer), Kofler (61.)

Rittner Buam vs. HK SZ Olimpija 1:5 (1:1; 0:1; 0:3)
Referees: GIACOMOZZI, WALLNER, Mantovani, Rigoni, Pichler

Ritten lost the direct confrontation to reopen the race towards the 2nd place in the AHL standing. Ljubljana won 5:1 at the Ritten Arena and sent five different players into goal. After this defeat the Rittner Buam are surpassed in the standings by the Red Bull Hockey Juniors and the EHC Alge Elastic Lustenau as they came down in 5th position. Despite a first time played at the attack by the hosts, the Green Dragons took the lead after four minutes with Kristjan Cepon. The Rittner Buam drew with Stefan Quinz but this will remain the only goal of the team of Collalbo. Ljubljana took again the lead with Miha Zajc in the second period and then defend the net of a positive Zan Us. But it is in the third frame that the Slovenes made the decisive step: in less than two minutes Simsic and Pesut allowed the decisive extension for a Ljubljana that then scored the fifth and final goal of the match with Music while being shorthanded. 

Goals RIT: 1:1 Stefan Quinz (Lutz-M.Spinell)
Goals HKO: 0:1 Kristjan Cepon (04:27/Koren-Music); 1:2 Miha Zajc (23:34); 1:3 Nik Simsic (42:48/Orehek-Cepon); 1:4 Ziga Pesut (44:43/Simsic-Vidmar); 1:5 Ales Music (56:38/SH1/Zajc) 

Hockey Milano Rossoblu vs. EC Bregenzerwald 2:4 (0:0; 2:1; 0:3)
Referees: PINIE, STEFENELLI, Piras, Slaviero 

After a first time in which the goalkeepers standed out, the ECB took the lead after 28 minutes with Mikko Virtanen but the reaction of Milan was immediate. In little more than two minutes the home team reversed the score with Andrea Pirelli with a deflection in the front of the net and then Tommaso Terzago with a shot from the distance. Despite some nervousness there were no other goals and Milan ahead in the second period for 2:1. During the third period the Austrians were very good at scoring in shorthaned. First Virtanen launched Jarvinen for the goal of the draw and then after 54 minutes was the same Jarvinen, always in a box play, who realized the new advantage for the ECB. In the final Christian Haidinger set an empty net goal for the 4:2 final. ECB still fighting for the pre-playoffs.

Goals MIL: 1:1 Andrea Pirelli (29:14/Ilic-Borghi); 2:1 Tommaso Terzago (31:57/PP1/Borghi-Schina); 

Goals ECB: 0:1 Mikko Virtanen (28:40/Schwinger); 2:2 Aleksi Jarvinen (45:21/SH1/Virtanen); 2:3 Mikko Virtanen (54:19/SH1/Linke-Skec); 2:4 Christian Haidinger (59:39/EN/Linke); 

Migross Supermercati Asiago Hockey vs. Red Bull Hockey Juniors 6:7 (1:1; 2:4; 3:2)
Referees: HOLZER, MOSCHEN, Bedana, Martin

Spectacular match at the Odegar stadium of Asiago. At the end there were 13 goals with the victory for 7:6 of Red Bull Hockey Juniors that exceeded the Migross Asiago Hockey. Except of the brace of Bardaro, there were 11 different players scoring to witness the great work of the teams. Austrians ahead after 48 seconds with Kokkila in powerplay (there will be 4 goals in the superiority of the guests) but the Asiago equalized with Bardaro (on rebound) for a first period in a draw. During the second period the home team seemed to behave well and before mid-period led to 3:1 with Rosa and Chad Pietroniro. But the Red Bulls had a furious reaction after just 52 seconds. First there was Schutz's goal and then there were the other scores in sequence of Eckl, Nordberg and Predan. Salzburg ahead 5:3 after 40 minutes. But even in the third half the music didn't change. Wirt with a shot from the blue scored a new goal. Olivero broken the Austrian rule but Varejcka again signed the Bulls' lengthen. In the final great comeback of yellow-red team but the goals of Gellert and Bardaro were not enough to draw.

Goals ASH: 1:1 Anthony Bardaro (12:47/Rosa-Gellert); 2:1 Marco Rosa (21:46/PP1/Gellert-Pietroniro); 3:1 Chad Pietroniro (29:24/Naclerio-Rosa); 4.6 Simone Olivero (51:59/Bina-Stevan); 5:7 Alex Gellert (Bardaro-Rosa); 6:7 Anthony Bardaro (59:56/EA/C.Pietroniro); 

Goals RBJ: 0:1 Jesper Kokkila (00:48/PP1/Nordberg-Witting); 3:2 Justin Schutz (30:16/Wirt-Nordberg); 3:3 Bastian Eckl (32:17/Schmitz); 3:4 Oliver Nordberg (33:16/PP1/Evertsson-Kokkila); 3:5 Aljaz Predan (37:12/Nordberg-Kokkila); 3:6 Daniel Wirt (51:31/Rebernig-Eckl); 4:7 Filip Varejcka (PP1/Nordberg-Everttson);

Fotocredit: Max Pattis